Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with interfacial layers in organic photovoltaic devices (OPV).
U.S. Pat. No. 7,799,990 issued to Marks et al. (2010) relates to a solar cell. In one embodiment, the solar cell includes an anode; an active organic layer comprising an electron-donating organic material and an electron-accepting organic material; a semiconducting layer formed between the anode and the active organic layer; and an electron-blocking layer (EBL) formed between the semiconducting layer and the active organic layer, where the EBL is transparent and adapted for blocking electron leakage from the active organic layer to the anode while transporting holes from the active organic layer to the anode.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0044855 (Irwin et al. 2009) relates to a solar cell, wherein the solar cell includes an anode, a p-type semiconductor layer formed on the anode, and an active organic layer formed on the p-type semiconductor layer, where the active organic layer has an electron-donating organic material and an electron-accepting organic material.
WIPO Patent Application WO/2010/059240 (Benson-Smith et al. 2010) discloses OPV devices comprising an organic semiconductor doped with a metal or organic dopant to form an interfacial modification layer, where the layer is disposed on an active layer including a conjugated polymer and a fullerene. In the layer, the organic semiconductor can be BPhen or TPBI, and the dopant can be a metal or an organic material. In the active layer, the conjugated polymer can be P3HT and the fullerene can be PCBM or indenyl-substituted fullerene. Improved OPV efficiency and lifetimes can be achieved.